


One Fond Embrace Before I Now Depart

by stellarparallax



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Original Character Death(s), Prompt Fill, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2018-12-12 09:03:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11733912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarparallax/pseuds/stellarparallax
Summary: Two years prior, Yuuri's parents died in a car accident, leaving him the responsibility of raising his eight year-old younger brother at sixteen himself. Because of how young and inexperienced he is with raising children, a social worker checks in with them every month or few months to make sure that Yura has everything he needs to grow up into a well-adjusted adult.The job market is bad and Yuuri had just lost a job in manual labour. Will he be able to find another job, keep it, and convince the social worker that Yura should stay with him before it's too late?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my contribution for the [Catfish Prompt Party](https://catfishpromptparty.tumblr.com/) for the prompt "lilo and stitch au w makkachin/potya as stitch and yuuri and viktor as the nani and david. yurio as lilo <3"
> 
> This will also be multi-chaptered because time skip of about a month and a half will be happening between this chapter and the next, so I wanted there to be a clean break in between since the events in this chapter happen in the span of 3-5 days.
> 
> Yuuri and Yuri are siblings in this. I wanted them to keep their canon names, but I think it'd be too weird that both of them have basically the same name even if there's a slight difference in the pronunciation. I also didn't want to call Yuri "Yurio", so I chose to go with Yura.

“Yura, why did you show the social worker your drawings?”

“They asked to see them.”

“What if they think that I’m not treating you well?”

“But they’re just drawings…”

“They don’t know that! You know how these people think -- draw a rod and they think that I cane you. They probably think that I expose you to those images.”

“But…”

“Do you want to get taken away?”

“I…”

“DO YOU WANT TO GET TAKEN AWAY?”

“NO!”

“Then why are you doing this, Yura? Don’t I have enough to worry about?”

Yuuri immediately regretted what he said as soon as it escaped his lips. From the look on Yura’s face, he knew that he was probably just as disgusted as he was with himself.

“Yura, I’m so-”

“Sometimes, I really hate you. If I’m such a burden then let them take me. It’s not like you’re my real brother anyway,” he said softly before walking to his room and slamming the door shut.

Yuuri clicked his tongue and rubbed the space between his eyes. Then, he retreated to his own room and gently shut the door. He walked over to where the thin mattress on the floor was and slowly lowered himself down onto it.

His eyes were barely open, blinking but never shut for too long. He couldn’t sleep but he also couldn’t move with the daily grind weighing terribly on his muscles and bones. It was his second week of job hunting and he was still painfully unemployed without even the slightest possibility of getting a job. Even if he tried to convince himself that he was unemployed because he had high standards when it comes to getting a job, he couldn’t because he had asked at every place that had been open to hiring new staff.

He could hear Yura’s music blaring in the next room, unapologetically loud just like Yura himself. If he couldn’t get a job soon, the electricity in their apartment may get cut off and Yura wouldn’t be able to listen to music for a while. A tear grazed Yuuri’s cheek, signalling the point at which he lost his grasp on his emotions. In spite of how tired and unwilling to move he was, he turned over on his side and curled up in a fetal position and proceeded to sob as he wrapped his arms around himself.

He had one month left before the social worker would be back to check on them.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri had finally scored a job interview at a bookstore that was only a few blocks away from their apartment. He was hoping that working there would mean that he’d get discounts on books he bought for Yura. There was a library across the street from Yura’s school so it wasn’t like Yura was deprived of books entirely, but Yuuri had always felt bad that Yura never had any new books of his own since their parents’ passing.

Sometimes when doing mundane tasks like walking, Yuuri tended to wrap himself up in his thoughts so tightly that he didn’t pay attention to the world around him. Usually, that didn’t affect his life too much. That day, it mattered.

The first thing he was conscious of was the comforting feeling of warmth spreading across his chest, like his heart had just exploded and caused all the other organs to be obliterated in its wake. Perhaps this was what it felt like to fall in love.

Perhaps it was also how it felt like to have a hot latte spilled on the only nice shirt he owned.

“This can’t be real,” he gasped as he looked at the brown stain on the front of his otherwise pristine white shirt.

“Oh my God, I am so sor-...,” Yuuri looked up and saw a man with piercing blue eyes and pale grey hair looming over him, “Please, let me reimburse you!”

“Don’t bother. It wouldn’t help much anyway,” Yuuri muttered sourly, “I probably wasn’t going to get the job.”

“Are you headed to a job interview?” the man shrieked, “Ah, that’s so so much worse. You know what, I’m wearing a white shirt too. Take mine!”

“Then what will you wear?”

Without hesitation, the man quickly unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it off his body and offered to a wide-eyed and honestly, pretty stunned Yuuri.

“There’s a bathroom in this cafe,” he said, pointing at the storefront next to them, “Just go in and change. If anyone gives you any trouble, tell them that Viktor let you in.”

Yuuri nodded quickly and did as he was told. He would have usually been too proud to accept help from other people, even if it was compensation for doing something wrong. This time, he wasn’t about to allow his pride stop him from doing everything in his power to ensure that the job interview would go well and his re-entry into the world of employment would go smoothly.

In the bathroom, he peeled off his damp shirt, groaning at how difficult it was going to be to get the coffee stain out. He pulled a few paper towels to dab off any excess liquids that were left on his chest before putting on Viktor’s shirt.

He was suddenly made acutely aware of the size difference between himself and Viktor. The shoulder seams went past his narrower frame and the hem of the sleeves dangled down to his fingertips. It definitely wasn’t a perfect fit, but it was better than wearing a dirty shirt. Even though he was still upset about what had happened, he couldn’t say that he wasn’t grateful that Viktor would go to such lengths to make it up to him.

When he decided that he had fiddle with every part of his appearance that was humanly possible for him to fix within the next five minutes, he stepped out of the bathroom and was greeted by Viktor holding out a plastic bag in front of him.

“For your shirt. I’ll get it cleaned and you can come back here and get it after your interview.”

Yuuri wondered if he was imagining the pink flush of Viktor’s face.

“Okay,” he replied softly, rolling up his shirt and dropping it into the bag.

Yuuri turned towards the entrance of the cafe and was about to leave when Viktor said, “I’m really sorry.”

“I know,” Yuuri mumbled before taking his leave.

 

* * *

 

“Did you get it?”

Yuuri looked up from his phone and saw Viktor standing before him, brows knitted and bottom lip bitten down.

“No.”

“Oh, uhm, I’m so-”

Yuuri dismissed his apology with a flick of his wrist. The incident did throw him off his game, but he knew better than anyone that he didn’t meet the education requirements, having left school at sixteen. There wasn’t a point in pinning the blame on Viktor.

“Here’s your shirt, by the way!” Viktor exclaimed, shoving a plastic bag into Yuuri’s chest, “I didn’t know how you like it creased so I didn’t iron it.”

“That’s… Thanks. I’ll return you this,” he pointed at Viktor’s shirt hanging off him, “Once I get it cleaned.”

Viktor nodded silently. His eyes darted around Yuuri’s face, trying to read him for any signs of emotion but he got nothing out of him. Yuuri was staring back at him, wide eyed and adorable. Viktor tried to start speaking a few times, but kept losing his nerve. Finally, he found his voice.

“I… I talked to my manager and she said that she’d be willing to offer you a job here if you didn’t get the other one.”

Yuuri tried to blink away his surprise but his dropped jaw betrayed him.

“The wages is probably less than what you would have gotten from… yeah… but the manager here lets us take home all the leftover food and uhm… you’d be somewhere where you already know someone?” Viktor pointed a trembling finger at his own chest, “Well, sort of?”

“But I don’t have…”

“Experience? I can train you. I’ve been here for a good few years, I think I know my way around the place.”

“I was going to say ‘higher education certificate’. That’s… That’s why I didn’t get the other job.”

“Join the club, buddy. Can you start tomorrow morning?”

The last thing that Yuuri remembered before finding himself on the floor was feeling his legs give out underneath him. He had collapsed into a shaking, crying mess on the ground, trying desperately to get the words “thank you” out amidst his sobs.

“I mean, I did spill a hot latte on you,” Viktor laughed nervously, “Oh my God, please don’t cry! I can’t deal with crying people!”

Yuuri’s tears finally stopped. He looked at Viktor who had just started to tear up.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know!”

Yuuri laughed heartily and threw his arms around Viktor, allowing a few more tears to fall as Viktor shook in his embrace. In all of his eighteen years, he had never imagined that a stranger would have the power to make his heart feel so full.

 

* * *

 

The cafe was more than Yuuri had ever dared to imagine -- it was spacious, yet cosy, and very warm and inviting. Yuuri had asked Lilia, the manager, if it was all right for Yura to stay at the cafe and study so that Yuuri could keep an eye on him. She agreed on the condition that Yura would stay in the staff room, be quiet and not make a mess.

It was Yuuri’s first time working in a cafe and his body, well-worn by the strain of manual labour, had a hard time relearning how to do things that required more than just brute strength. Thankfully, Viktor never got impatient with him for taking a long time to learn how to prepare drinks as a barista.

“Ah, Yuuri, now that your coffee grounds have been tampered, you clip in the portafilter into the espresso machine like this… and now you just press this bu- NO WAIT NOT YET.”

Both of them stared at the espresso machine in silence as a double shot of espresso was dispensed without a cup to fill.

“Yuuri, I know you’re excited, but can you be a little patient?” he laughed.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking!”

“I know, I know,” he said, removing the portafilter to throw out the used coffee grounds and refill it with a fresh batch, “Okay, now you try.”

Yuuri unhooked the portafilter from the coffee grounds dispenser and tampered the coffee, pressing it as hard as he could into the portafilter to compress the grounds. He wiped off the edges of the portafilter to get rid of the excess, before clipping it into the espresso machine. He took a paper cup from the plastic rack and fitted it with a cardboard cup sleeve. Then he placed it under the portafilter.

“Are you ready for this? Viktor whispered.

“I was born ready,” he replied as he pushed the dispense button.

Viktor burst into a fit of giggles when Yuuri gasped in amazement at the espresso machine.

“It’s just… so beautiful. I’ve never had coffee that has looked so beautiful!”

“Wait, you’ve never had coffee like this before?”

“Ah… Having to support your younger brother since you were sixteen kind of deprives you of little luxuries.”

“Well, then,” Viktor picked up the paper cup and started pouring in the milk that he had taught Yuuri how to froth and steam earlier, forming a heart on the surface of the drink, “Enjoy your very first handcrafted beverage.”

Yuuri took a sip from it, “Wow, the foam is thicker than I thought it’d be.”

“This is a cappucino. It has more foam than a latte. I’ll let you try making a latte tomorrow. I don’t think you want too much caffeine in you,” he punctuated with a wink.

Yuuri felt his face heat up and he quickly turned away to hide it from Viktor.

“It’s good. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, Yuuri!”

“Viktor,” Lilia interrupted, “Teach him how to prepare hot chocolate so he can make some for Yura when he comes over tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’d really like that. Thank you again for letting Yura come over. It’s going to save me a lot of money that I’d have to set aside for a babysitter and… Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble. There are other baristas here who are single parents. If it helps to ease your worries, all of your children or younger siblings are welcome here. I like my baristas focused on their jobs.”

“Anyway,” Viktor cut in, pulling Yuuri by the wrist towards the place where they kept their syrups and sauces, “You’ll need three pumps of chocolate syrup and steamed milk. Why don’t you try making it without my help?”

“How possessive,” Lilia teased, getting a blush out of Viktor, “Listen to him, Yuuri. He’s one of the best barista we have around here.”

 

* * *

 

“Yuuri, you’re home!” he was greeted with as he unlocked the door to his apartment.

Inside, there was Phichit, sitting at the dining table with his laptop and drawing tablet out. A quick glance at the screen was all it took for Yuuri to gather that Phichit was working on his new comic pages for a webseries that he made with his friends from school, Otabek and Mila.

“How’s Yura?”

“He’s fine. He went to bed about half an hour ago.”

“Good. Do you need me to walk you home? It isn’t safe for you to be out alone so late.”

“Don’t worry about it, my parents are on their way to pick me up,” Phichit turned off his laptop, “How was your first day?”

“Good, good,” Yuuri smiled, “Oh, here’s your money.”

“Yuuri, you know that I’m happy to watch Yura for free, right? It’s not like I’m struggling with money. Besides, Yura is pretty fuss-free and being here gives me a quiet place to work.”

“Please, I insist,” Yuuri said, pushing two 500₽ banknotes into Phichit’s hand.

Phichit looked down at the money pensively, “Are you sure you have enough to eat?”

“Yes, don’t worry. My manager gave me a small advance to tide me over before I get my first paycheck. Besides, she lets me take home all the food so I won’t have to spend a lot on dinner and breakfast.”

“If you’re sure,” Phichit said softly, folding the notes and putting them in his wallet, “Just know that you don’t have to worry about asking for it back if you need it.”

“Thank you. You have a key right? Can you just let yourself out when your parents arrive? I really need a shower.”

Phichit smile and nodded before walking over to the couch to lie down.

Yuuri wanted to keep talking to Phichit. Even though he was younger and usually had a hard time giving Yuuri advice, he was always ready to listen. Most of the time, that was really all that Yuuri needed. They met when Yuuri was sixteen and Phichit was thirteen. Both of them were in the same extracurricular dance club, in spite of being in different schools. Yuuri always had a difficult time making friends, but Phichit had basically clawed his way into his his fortress, breaking every single wall apart in his wake.

After his shower, he cracked open the door to Yura’s room slowly, hoping not to wake him up. He cautiously approached his bed and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead.

“Yuuri,” Yura whined as he came to, “How was work?”

“It went well, Yura.”

“Did you bring home cake?”

“I did. You can have it for breakfast tomorrow. I have a meat pie for your lunch.”

“Okay,” he said as he turned back onto his side and drifted off to sleep.

Yuuri sat at the edge of Yura’s bed in silence for the next few minutes, running his fingers through his soft pale-yellow hair. Perhaps his hopes of keeping Yura close to him weren’t that far-fetched after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Yura shifted nervously at the doorway of Yuuri’s room. Unless Yuuri was asleep, he made it a habit to leave his door ajar so that Yura would never hesitate to approach him for anything he needed. That day, however, Yura stopped himself when he saw the thick binder of receipts that Yuuri was studying. He eventually decided to approach his older brother when he wasn’t as busy. Unfortunately, his body had a different plan because before he knew it, he had accidentally stubbed his toe against the wall. He shrieked, immediately alerting Yuuri to his presence. 

“What happened?”

“Nothing, I just stubbed my toe.”

“What were you doing there? Do you need anything?”

“No, I…”

“Yura, don’t lie to me.”

Yura took a deep breath before finally saying, “Okay, you remember your promise that you’d buy me one thing if you can afford it since you just got paid?”

“Oh!” Yuuri’s face lit up, “Have you decided?”

“Uhm…,” Yura looked down, avoiding his gaze, “Just… Wait here.”

He returned with a cardboard box with a dirty, sleeping ragdoll cat. 

“I can’t afford a cat,” Yuuri said flatly.

“I was thinking, cat food, actually. I found her. She doesn’t have a collar.”

“Yura,” Yuuri sighed as he walked over to take a closer look at the cat, “Having a pet is a huge responsibility. I won’t have time to help out so you’ll have to do most of the work on your own. Are you sure that you’re up for it?”

“I can’t…,” Yura’s voice wavered, “I can’t just leave her out there. She has to know that there’s someone who loves her.”

If Yura said that intentionally to tug at Yuuri’s heart string, it was working. Yuuri had been just like that cat -- abandoned and lost. The time he spent homeless as a twelve-year-old changed him. He quickly learned to build up his walls and keep to himself so that no one could ever hurt him the way his own parents did. It wasn’t until Yura’s parents found him and took him in that he finally relearned how to trust again. Yura had been five at the time. It felt like a lifetime ago, but Yuuri still remembered the way that Yura wrapped his tiny arms around his waist trying to comfort him after being awakened by Yuuri screaming in fear because of his nightmares. 

“Let’s go down to the store, then.”

 

* * *

 

“Good morning, Yuu-ri!” Viktor said melodically as Yuuri stepped into the cafe.

“Ah, morning, Viktor!” 

Yuuri walked to the back room to change and secure his bag in his personal locker. As he pulled on his polo t-shirt and apron, he felt pride blossom in his chest. When he first started working at the cafe, he wasn’t sure how long it would be before his clumsy, soft-spoken self would get fired. As he got more comfortable with his responsibilities and his colleagues, it did seem that the job was a better fit for him than he had anticipated.

“Are you ready?” Viktor cried out suddenly as he pushed the back room door open, startling Yuuri and causing him to jump.

“R-r-ready for what?”

“Yuu-ri,” he let the name dance on his lips, “Did you know that the gelato we serve is homemade?”

“It is? I… I’m sorry I didn’t know that. I thought it was just… marketing.”

“Oh, I don’t blame you for thinking that. That does happen a lot these days. Anyway, Lilia let me teach you how to make one flavour today, and you can take the entire batch home.”

“The entire batch?”

“Don’t be too touched by that. It’s for safety reasons,” Viktor laughed, “The policy here is that you have to try making every single flavour on the menu at least twice each before we can sell anything you make.”

Yuuri mentally counted the number of flavours that they served - seven. That meant he could take fourteen batches of ice-cream home. Yura was going to be very happy with that.

“Of course, I’ll only be getting you to make one batch every week. It’s really difficult to get through one new batch every week, let alone every single day,” he shuddered, “Trust me, I know from experience. The person who taught me didn’t think of that during my training.”

Yuuri chuckled, looking fondly at Viktor, “What’s the flavour for today?”

“The simplest recipe is chocolate, so I guess we’ll go with that.”

“Sounds good.”

 

* * *

 

“You have to think of a name for her,” Phichit said.

“Her name… is Puma Tiger Scorpion.”

“But that’s not a real na-” Phichit’s sentence was interrupted by Yuuri hitting him gently over the head, “... in… Iceland. But here it’s a good name! Puma Tiger Scorpion it is!”

It was the first time in years that Yuuri saw Yura smile so wide that his teeth were bared. It took every ounce of restraint left in him to hold back his tears.

 

* * *

 

“Good afternoon, Ma’am. May I-”

“Take your order please?” Viktor interjected, nudging Yuuri away from the cash register.

Yuuri shot him a perplexed look, but Viktor only responded with a slight nudge towards the kitchen. Not wanting to make a big deal out of the situation, he walked to the kitchen quietly.

“Yuuri,” Lilia greeted him, as she quickly pulled him deeper into the kitchen so that both of them were obscured by the wall, “Listen, would you be able to take the late shift tomorrow night?”

“I can’t. My friend isn’t available to look after Yura.”

“Would you be okay with him sleeping on the sofa in the back room? Two of the baristas can’t make it tomorrow and it’s Performance Night. Please, Yuuri. I wouldn’t ask if I weren’t desperate.”

Performance Night was an event that took place every two months where local performers, mostly singers and musicians, would get invited to perform at the cafe at night. The late shift would end later than usual, which meant he’d have even less sleep before having to get up early to get Yura ready for school. Still, he’d get paid double for it since it exceeded his regular hours. Plus, he’d know that Yura would be safe the entire time he was working.

“I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, Yuuri,” Lilia squeezed his forearm, “You’re a lifesaver. It’s no wonder that Viktor likes you so much.”

“Viktor,” Yuuri felt his face burn red with embarrassment, “He… He what?”

“Wait, you didn’t know?”

“I…”

“Oh my God, you didn’t know!” she laughed, “I thought you did. Oh, Yuuri you’re adorable. Even a blind man could see how much he likes you!”

“I thought that’s how he treated everyone else!”

“Yuuri,” she squeezed her eyes shut as if bracing herself for impact, “He bought you flowers AND chocolate for Valentine’s day. It doesn’t get more obvious than that.”

“I…”

“Yuuri, are you ready to go for lunch?” Viktor called out as he walked into the kitchen, “Why is your face so red? Did Lilia say something mean to you?”

Lilia was cackling as she brushed past Viktor on her way out of the kitchen.

“I… Viktor, I…”

“Yes?”

“Ah, nothing.”

“Okay, then. Go get your wallet, dear.”

That didn’t help Yuuri snap out of being the flustered mess that he had become. He lowered his face as if it would in any way hide his obviously burning cheeks from Viktor and walked towards the back room.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri thought that eating would be enough of a distraction to make him stop thinking of what Lilia had said to him, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. If anything it made him even more embarrassed that he was barely eating anything because he was focussing so hard on not throwing up. He couldn’t wrap his head around the knowledged that Viktor. Liked. Him. If he were being honest, he’d admit that he was also developing feelings for Viktor.

But it wasn’t about honesty. Between working extra shifts on an already packed schedule and trying his best to be there for Yura as much as humanly possible, a romance would only throw his entire routine off course. He couldn’t afford to reciprocate Viktor’s feelings if it meant that it was possible that he’d have to neglect either Yura or Viktor. He couldn’t do that to either of them. They both deserved so much more than half a person. 

“Yuuri,” Viktor sulked, “I can’t help but think that you’re mad at me.”

“I’m not,” Yuuri muttered.

“Then what’s wrong? Is it something about Yura.”

“I’m just… Tired, I guess…”

He didn’t tell Viktor that he’s tired of never being able to hold onto anything he could call his own.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine, but please don’t lie to me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Hey, if you can’t finish that, why don’t you ask for it to be packed? You can take bites at it when we’re back at work if you feel better.”

“Thanks, Viktor.”

“What are friends for?”

Yuuri felt his heart ache when he heard the word “friends”.

 

* * *

 

Performance Night was an event that Lilia hosted to raise funds for the neighbourhood homeless shelter run by her ex-husband, Yakov Feltsman. Often, the singers and musicians who performed during the event were street performers, some of them were even formerly homeless and managed to get their lives back on track after getting help and support from the staff of the cafe. 

Members of the audience were charged fifty dollars per head, but they were allowed a free flow of drinks. Which was why Yuuri was at the espresso machine, brewing cup after cup, trying to keep up with the endless stream of orders.

“Deep breaths, Yuuri. Hopefully, we can both make it out of this alive,” Viktor said from the other side of the counter.

The way he was working, he wouldn’t have been at all surprised if a complaint against him was lodged that very night. He could barely concentrate on his work and he was preparing drinks almost instinctively. He was certain that he had already sent out multiple wrong orders and the patrons were going to be very angry or very amused. 

It wasn’t like he wasn’t trying to stay focussed. Each time he tried, his thoughts inevitably drifted off to Yura, then to Viktor. 

“Viktor,” Lilia said, interrupting his thoughts, “Viktor, can you sing for the next band? Their singer has a family emergency to attend to.”

“Lilia,” Viktor laughed nervously, “You know how terrible I am.”

“You’re not that bad, but if you don’t want to I’m not going to hold a gun to your head,” she clicked her tongue, “Yuuri, can you sing?”

“Ah… I’m okay… I think.”

“Do you mind?”

“Ah… I….”

“We really need someone on in five minutes. If you know any of these songs,” she handed him the list, “Then I need you on or we may have to refund all these customers.”

Yuuri took a quick scan of the list and found a few of his favourite songs.

“I… I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, Yuuri. You’ve saved me once again,” she heaved a sigh of relief.

Before he could pick another song, there was another wave of orders coming in. Many of the customers had already finished their first drink and were back at the counter for their second one.

Eventually, through sheer adrenaline and a lot of willpower, they managed to get through all of the orders. Yuuri exhaled deeply as he leaned against the counter.

“I’m so glad that you’re here, Yuuri. I wouldn’t be able to stand if it had just been me,” Viktor tapped Yuuri’s cheek with the back of his hand.

“You’re welcome,” Yuuri mumbled, turning away from him.

“Have you picked a song?”

“Yes,” Yuuri held the list up in front of him, “This one.”

“I’ve actually never heard that one.”

“You’d love it. It’s really… Well, you’d love it when you hear it on YouTube or something…”

Viktor leaned over and pulled Yuuri into a tight hug, “I’m sure you’ll be great. God, you’re shaking so much. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Yuuri nodded against Viktor’s chest.

“Ready?” Lilia said gently.

“I am,” he untangled himself from Viktor’s embrace.

Yuuri’s vision blurred as he walked towards the band. He whispered the title of the song that he chose to the pianist and he nodded in response, quickly turning around to signal to the others. 

“Ready when you are, kid.”

The audience looked like a whirlpool of colours, not one of them a concrete image. Then he looked all the way at the back, behind the counter, right at Viktor. His racing heart rate slowed down.

“Hold,” his voice shook, but he continued, “Hold on, hold on to me.”

He saw Viktor’s eyes widen.

“Cause I’m a little unsteady, little unsteady.”

The clarity and depth of his voice came as a surprise to him as well. As he kept his eyes on Viktor, the blurred corners of his slight started to become clear again. 

“If you love me, don’t let go,” he felt hot tears slide down his cheeks, “If you love me, don’t let go.”

He saw Viktor crying too when he belted out the chorus.

Soon, the song was ended. He stood at the microphone, gasping for oxygen. His thoughts were drumming in his ears so hard that he didn’t notice the audience screaming for an encore. The pianist of the band stood up and patted him lightly on his shoulder.

“You did great.”

With shaking legs, Yuuri slowly walked away from the microphone. If it weren’t for Lilia catching him, he would have fallen over.

“How was it?”

“It was… Great. I loved it.”

“Good. Yuuri, I was thinking… Would you like to do this more often? Performance Night shifts, that is. I’ll pay you extra on top of the overtime rate just in case you need to sing again. I’ll keep the sofa clean for Yura. How about it?”

“I… I’ll need to talk to Yura about it.”

“That’s no problem. Let me know your answer as soon as you have it!”

Yuuri turned towards the counter. Viktor was still staring at him.

 

* * *

 

They were about a block away from their apartment building before Yura stirred.

“Yuu...ri.”

“We’re almost home.”

“I can… I can walk.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Go back to sleep.”

“Okay.”

“Yura.”

“Yes?”

“I think I’ll finally be able to take you ice skating.”

“Yay…,” he sighed as he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! It's finally done! It's been more than a month since my last update. I'm sorry to have kept all of you waiting so long ashfoashfioasf :(
> 
> I hope you like it so far! I really want to explore Yuuri and Yuri(o)'s relationship, but I really felt like I needed to expand on Yuuri and Viktor's first. I've planned out more Yuuri and Yuri(o) parts in the next chapter because the story is about to pick up. One of the scenes I'm planning is a little out of my comfort zone so I have no idea how well I'll be able to pull it off. I hope it wont disappoint you :')


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back.

“Yuuri, stop pacing and go to work already. Phichit will be here soon. I’ll be fine,” Yura sighed.

“No… I can’t leave you at home alone.”

“Yuuri, Ms Lilia offered you double pay for the three hours extra you’re working. Phichit is already on his way. Go.”

Yuuri walked over to where Yura was sitting in the living room and planted a kiss on his forehead, “You know what not to do, right?”

“Yes,” Yura said as he recoiled from the affectionate gesture, “I’ll call you when Phichit gets here.”

“Okay,” Yuuri mumbled as he bent over to give Yura a tight hug.

 

* * *

 

It had been half an hour and Phichit had yet to arrive. Yura was getting hungry. Among the list of things that Yuuri had forbidden Yura from doing without someone older around to supervise him was boiling water. Since they were out of bread and instant ramen was one of the only meals that Yura was confident enough to prepare, he decided to go against his brother’s wishes.

His arms were trembling as he carried the kettle filled with water from the sink to the kitchen counter, groaning most of the way. Finally, all he had to do was to plug in the power cable and switch on the power. 

He touched the switch, immediately having his whole life flash before him until he finally registered that he had unintentionally started an electrical fire.

Sparks burst out of the power point, emitting a crackling noise that caused Yura to jump back in fear. Tiny embers emerged from the plastic casing of the power point. His eyes darted around, trying to figure out his best course of action. He knew from the fire safety course he had taken in school that he shouldn’t try to extinguish an electrical fire with water as it would only worsen the situation. He didn't know what else to do. His only option was to evacuate.

He tried to pick up the furball that has been sleeping in the corner of the kitchen, but for some reason he couldn’t. They have had Puma Tiger Scorpion for a month and while she had grown considerably, she definitely wasn’t that heavy. He prodded her, urging her to wake up and move. 

“Come on, Potya…”

Finally, her eyes flew open. She jumped out of his arms and unhesitatingly approached the faulty power point.

“No, Potya!”

Her eyes and the tips of her ears and tail glowed deep purple. As she got closer to the power point, it appeared that she was absorbing the fire. Finally, she got close enough to the switch and turned it off. 

She turned around, greeted by a very surprised Yura.

“How did you… It doesn’t matter, we need to leave!” 

He ran towards his room to get his huge dragon stuffed toy that was almost half his size. It had been a birthday gift from their parents about a month before the accident. He knew that he should have been leaving quickly, but he didn't want to leave something so important behind. Before he got to his room, he had to walk past Yuuri’s and he froze. Then, he walked into Yuuri’s room and grabbed his laptop and receipt binder instead.

With both stuffed into his larger-than-necessary school bag, he ran towards the cafe with Puma Tiger Scorpion running alongside him.

 

* * *

 

“Yuuri,” Lilia chided, “If it’s worrying you that much, why didn’t you bring him to the cafe?”

“I didn’t want to make a habit out of it. Yura gets overwhelmed easily by noises and crowds. I didn’t want him to feel miserable all day. But yes, now that I’m saying this all out loud, I do realise that I should have made an exception. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologise for. I’ve made my fair share of parenting mistakes. You don’t have to be perfect all the time. That’s not how it works.”

“It’s how it is for me,” he sighed, “If I’m anything but a perfect caregiver, social services may take him away from me. I can’t… I can’t let that happen.”

“Let us help you, Yuuri,” she put her arm around his shoulder, “You may have a lot to deal with but you don’t have to do it all alone.”

“Thanks Lil-...”

His train of thought was interrupted by the creak of the front door swinging open suddenly, followed by soft meowing.

“Yura, what are your doing here? Where’s Phichit?”

Yura burst into tears as he got closer to Yuuri.

“I didn’t listen to you,” he mumbled, “I tried to boil water and… I don’t know what happened, but sparks flew out and…”

He pulled his school bag off his shoulders and unzipped it, revealing the laptop and receipt binder.

“I got whatever was important…”

Yuuri’s eyes widened and glistened with tears. His arms were trembling as he put them around Yura.

“Yura, you’re what’s important. Everything else can be replaced.”

 

* * *

 

“Yuuri, help me understand the situation at hand,” the social worker rubbed the space between their eyes, “You left Yura unsupervised at home and before he had something to eat?”

“... Yes.”

“Yuuri, I know that the electrical fire isn’t your or Yura’s fault, but it’s important to examine the cause of the specific set of circumstances.”

“I’m sorry, I messed up. My boss offered to pay me extra for a few extra hours and I didn’t think it through. Yura’s safety is so much more important than that. I know that. I just… forgot.”

“That’s… More common than you think, actually. I understand that you’re going through a lot, but please remember that none of this was ever supposed to be easy. You need to know where your priorities lie, even if it means foregoing little bits of comfort. As it is, your salary is enough to have all the basic necessities covered. I can understand the desire to earn a little extra, but you have to remind yourself of what’s more important. Until Yura becomes more independent, please be more mindful of his safety. I’ll see the both of you in a few weeks.”

Yuuri nodded solemnly before exiting their office. He walked through the corridor into the waiting room where Viktor was playing cat’s cradle with Yura. When he heard him approaching, Viktor stood up and faced him.

“How was it?”

“It was… Well, it wasn’t bad per se…”

“I see.”

“Thank you for coming… And thank you for letting us stay with you while our landlord gets the wiring in our apartment fixed.”

“Hey, what are friends for, right?” Viktor chuckled, moving closer to Yuuri to put his arm around his shoulder, “Let’s get something to eat. My treat.”

“Viktor, you’ve already done en-...”

“My treat.”

 

* * *

 

Aiming a filled water pistol at Viktor who had been sitting idly on his couch, Yura said, “What are your intentions with my brother, Yuuri Katsuki?”

Viktor put his hands up in jest, “Officer, you can’t interrogate me before reading me my Miranda rights.”

Yura squeezed the pump of the water pistol.

“Okay, okay, just don’t shoot!” Viktor laughed, “I’ll tell you if you put the gun down.”

Yura’s eyes narrowed. He slowly bent his knees until his hand was low enough to place the water pistol on the ground.

“God, you’re a cute kid. Come here and sit with me.”

Yura complied.

“I love him. I know he has a lot to deal with and I don’t want to put him in a position where he has to choose between you and me. God, Yura, sometimes I love him so much my chest aches.”

Yura looked at him in disbelief. Then he cracked a smile.

“But why? He’s terrible,” he chuckled.

“Well, he’s your brother and you’re eleven so I’m not exactly surprised that you think that.”

Yura leaned over to grab the television remote from the coffee table. He pressed the on switch and started flipping through the channels, looking for a show that he was interested in. Viktor leaned back into the couch, fully accepting that he’d probably be stuck watching cartoons.

“You know, I’d be okay with you dating Yuuri, Well, if that’s what he wants too.”

Viktor looked away from the television screen and straight at Yura, realising that he had indeed said what he thought he heard.

“Thanks… That means a lot to me.”

 

* * *

 

Since the fire, Yuuri started taking more extra hours at work. He realised how badly that he needed to get insurance. Their landlord had offered to pay most of the cost to fix the wiring and Lilia had stepped in to pay the remainder, but he knew that he couldn’t depend on the kindness of others. Since they were staying with Viktor and Viktor was clearing his unpaid off-days that week, Yuuri had asked Viktor if he could watch over Yura full time while he took as many hours as he could manage. Viktor had gladly agreed.

Yuuri unlocked the front door of Viktor’s apartment and stepped it, completely caught off-guard by the sight before him. Viktor and Yura had fallen asleep in front of the television, Yura’s head on Viktor’s lap. Yuuri felt something swell in his chest. He picked Yura up and carried him to their room. Then, he returned to the living room with a blanket for Viktor.

Without thinking, he leaned in to kiss Viktor on the forehead. A blush spread across his face and he quickly retreated to the kitchen to clear up the boxes from the take-out that they had ordered and eaten.

Awakened by the sound of water running, Viktor asked, “Yuuri?”

“I’m here.”

“Why are you… But you just got home… Stop, I’ll help.”

“No, you’ve done enough.”

“Together.”

“Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry that this fic is taking hilariously long to update. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, while I still love this AU and do fully intend on completing it, my love for YoI has been waning a little bit. On top of that, I just started college so I've been really stressed about the administrative procedures, etc. 
> 
> I think there are a few of you who still wait for updates and again, I'm sorry that this is taking so long. Thank you for all the time you've given to me reading, commenting and leaving kudos. I really appreciate everything even though I've been pretty much silent about it. I love all of you and I hope that you have a great week~


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back~ I hope you like this chapter as much as you've liked the last 3 :))

After cleaning up, Viktor and Yuuri settled in on the couch. Yuuri’s side was leaning into Viktor’s chest and Viktor had his arms wrapped around him. The television was on, volume reduced so as to not wake Yura, but they barely paid attention to the sounds that it was producing. Instead, they whispered softly to each other, describing their day. Eventually, they drifted off to sleep, curled into each other, like they were pinky fingers making a promise that they’d always keep. 

Viktor was eventually roused by the whiff of peanut butter jelly sandwiches filling the air around them. He moved slowly and subtly, hoping that he wouldn’t disturb Yuuri. Both of them had the day off, but Yuuri had chosen to work an extra shift that afternoon. After his full shift the day before, he needed all the sleep that he could get. 

He moved as much as he thought he was allowed to, and saw a stack of sandwiches that had been set on the coffee table in front of the couch. Glancing down at the practically-comatose Yuuri, he knew that he definitely wasn’t the one to leave breakfast there. Unless Potya had a method to making peanut butter sandwiches while lacking opposable thumbs, he was certain that it had been Yura. 

Pulling Yuuri closer to himself, he nuzzled his hair and whispered, “Wake up. Yura made us breakfast.”

Yuuri stirred and instinctively pushed Viktor off of him, with almost enough strength to push Viktor off the couch entirely. Viktor stretched out and placed a hand on the floor, steadying himself.

“Easy, easy,” he teased.

Finally, he got up and sat on the adjacent arm chair. He helped himself to the sandwiches as he waited for Yuuri to fully wake up.

 

* * *

 

It had been barely a month since their last visit with the social worker, but the social worker decided that it was best to check on them at Viktor’s apartment since Yura was in a new and unfamiliar environment. Yura had been on edge since the last meeting where he showed them his “disturbing” drawings. He didn’t want to say or do anything that would get Yuuri to yell at him again. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Yuuri. He just didn’t like watching Yuuri get all worked up. 

While the social worker seemed understanding enough, he knew that the electrical fire would have been grounds to take him away from Yuuri. 

“Yura, calm down. The social worker will be here any minute now. They’re just going to ask you a few questions about how you’ve been and then it’ll be over. Trust me, I’ve been through the system too,” Viktor said gently, rubbing circles into Yura’s back.

“But what if I say something wrong and they decide to take me away from Yuuri? You know me, Viktor. I don’t get along well with others. What if my new family doesn’t like me?”

“Yura, breathe, breathe,” he instructed, “You’ll be fine. Yuuri will be home in half an hour and you’ll be more relaxed then. It’s going to be okay.”

He went to the kitchen to make Yura a cup of hot chocolate, hoping that it would help to calm him down. Suddenly, a loud, alarmed meow caught their attention and they both ran to the window to see where it was from. When they looked down, they saw that there was a white van with a satellite dish attached to the room parked at the foot of the apartment building. There were two men at the back of the white van trying to stuff a very distressed-looking cat into the van. 

“It’s Potya! They’re taking Potya!” 

They knew that they’d have to act quickly if they ever wanted to see her again. They rushed to the front door, almost crashing into it in the process. 

 

* * *

 

Yuuri was panicking. He had left fifty missed calls on Viktor’s phone but he still hadn’t gotten a response. Not knowing what else to do, he walked over to Viktor’s room and was dismayed to find Viktor’s cell phone on the bed of his room. His anxiety only compounded and he started to fidget with his hands. 

The social worker was already sitting on the couch that Yuuri and Viktor had shared a few days ago, and they were getting impatient. Yuuri had served her three cups of tea to try to appease her, but she was still upset. It wasn’t like Yuuri blamed her. Viktor and Yura had been gone for almost two hours. 

More importantly, Yuuri was panicking because he had no idea where Yura was. He wondered if it had been a bad idea placing his trust in Viktor. 

“You have no idea where they are?”

“I really don’t,” Yuuri admitted bitterly.

“Do you realise how serious this is?”

Just as he was about to mumbled out a half-hearted answer, Viktor burst into the apartment, Yura right behind him with Potya curled up in his arms.

“There…,” he heaved, “There were these two men who tried to take… The cat… We had to run… Sorry we’re late.”

“Why would anyone want to take the cat?” the social worker squinted.

“I have no idea, but I promise you that this is true.”

“Right… Anyway, would both of the adults please leave the room? I would like to speak to Yura.”

Yura was breathing heavily, his hands shaking under the weight of Potya. After much persuasion, he finally let go of the cat and joined the social worker on the couch. 

Viktor hung back, concerned about Yura’s mental state, but Yuuri pulled him along into his bedroom to give Yura and the social worker some semblance of privacy.

Until the social worker left, Yuuri remained silent. Once they were gone, he went straight to Yura.

“Pack your bags, Yura. The maintenance guy of our building called me this morning and said we could move back in.”

“Wait, you haven’t lived there in almost a month. It’s going to be really dusty. Why don’t you stay here until you can get it cleaned out?” Viktor interjected.

“I believe we’ve stayed here long enough,” Yuuri’s said icily, “

“Yuuri, you don’t think I tried to sabotage the evaluation session, do you?”

“I do, Viktor.”

Viktor was frozen where he was. Finally he muttered something that Yuuri didn’t catch and went to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. 

“Yuuri…”

“Yura, start packing. Now.”

 

* * *

 

All the way back to their apartment, Yura dragged his feet reluctantly. When their building was in sight, Yura slowed down so much that Yuuri had to pull him along by the wrist. Even then, he put up a fight.

“Yura, I have a lot of things to do and I need to get enough sleep for my early shift tomorrow. Please, hurry up.”

“You should apologise to Viktor. He was telling the truth.”

“Really? Someone tried to take Potya? I’ll believe that Potya has superpowers sooner.”

“But, Yuuri…”

“Yura, that’s enough.”

“You were wrong. Maybe you should learn to admit that you’re not always right every now and then.”

“Duly noted, but I know that I’m right in this case.”

“You’re not…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! Well it's kind of tentative because I don't know if I can fit the resolution into the last chapter seeing that I brought up the main conflict so late. But even if I do extend it, it won't be longer than 7 chapters... I think.
> 
> I'd love to know what you think of this AU and my writing. Please leave comments! Also, please leave kudos if you liked it. I live on lattes and validation.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally done with chapter 5! It's been a great experience writing this and talking to all of you! I really hope you like this!

It was three hours past the time both Yuuri and Viktor were supposed to come into work, but Viktor was still nowhere to be seen. Finally, Yuuri caved and asked one of their colleagues. 

“Don’t know,” her tone was non-committal and she shrugged half-heartedly. 

Viktor’s absence was starting to worry Yuuri. Viktor was always punctual, if not early, for work. He started to run through all of the possible reasons why Viktor wouldn’t be at work without informing anyone about it. He remembered that it had only been a week before that he had to restrain Viktor and call Lilia for him when he insisted on going to work in spite of a high fever. Not to mention, it was a Saturday evening -- the busiest time of the week for the cafe. Viktor was the fastest barista and they were suffering greatly without him around.

He was standing next to Lilia when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her apron and he saw on the screen that the caller was Viktor. He exhaled sharply.

“Hello? Viktor what’s going-- Yes, he’s right here, do you want to-- Okay, hang on,” she said.

She looked at Yuuri then mouthed “excuse me” before she walked to the back room. 

Yuuri supposed that he deserved that for being so rude to Viktor after he had been nothing but kind to him. At the same time, he couldn’t just ignore the fact that Viktor very nearly got Yura taken away by social services. Even if Yura was the one who suggested that they leave the apartment so close to the time the social worker was arriving, Viktor should have been the adult in the situation and decided against it. 

Still, Yuuri could have handled the situation better.

When Lilia emerged from the back room, she was shaking.

“Lilia, what’s wrong?”

“I… I need to go.”

“Go where?”

“I need to take Viktor home.”

“What? Where is he?”

“He told me not to tell you.”

“Lilia…”

“... The police station.”

“What? What is he doing there?”

“I don’t know.”

“Lilia, please just—”

“Yuuri, I don’t know. I just have to go now.”

She walked over to her assistant manager and spoke to her for a while before leaving to get to her car.

 

* * *

 

A week went by and Viktor still hadn’t returned to work. Yuuri heard so many whispers about him being sick or him getting arrested that he wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. He was sure that Lilia would already have known the details by then, but his pride wouldn’t let him ask her for them. 

It was Performance Night, and the cafe was slowly filling up. Yuuri never understood why anyone would drink coffee in the middle of the night, but he probably wouldn’t have been able to work so many hours if they didn’t. As he poured cup after cup of coffee, he mentally prepared himself to sing.

Suddenly, he caught sight of a head of silver hair. Before he could react, Lilia pulled him aside.

“Viktor told me what happened. I want you to go over there and apologise to him.”

“Lilia, you don’t understand…”

“That night when I went to the police station to take him home, he was there to make a report.”

“A report?”

“Yes. He reported the two cat burglars who tried to take your cat.”

“Wait, if he made a report it means that… it really did happen.”

“Yes.”

“So he didn’t try to sabotage the evaluation with the social worker.”

“No.”

Yuuri’s heart sank. The guilt started to eat him alive. He knew that he would have to apologise to Viktor eventually for not handling the situation better, but he didn’t think that he had to apologise for more than that. He turned to look at Viktor, who was sitting at the back of the cafe alone, clearly uncomfortable. Yuuri took a deep breath and made his way over to Viktor.

“Viktor,” he whispered.

“Yes?”

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Thank you for the apology, but I’m not accepting it.”

“What?”

“I’m tired, Yuuri. Lilia made me promise that I’d come here to hear you out, but I didn’t promise to forgive you. I did…” he sniffed, “I did everything I could to help you… and you accused me of wanting your brother to be taken away.”

“Viktor, I’m sorry. I have no excuse for my behaviour. I was just a big idiot.”

“I know.”

“Yuuri,” Lilia said as she touched his forearm gently.

Yuuri turned around to look at her. She pointed towards the stage.

“You’re on.”

“Viktor, please…”

“Go, Yuuri.”

Even as he walked towards the stage, Yuuri’s eyes were still stuck on Viktor. Finally, when he reached the foot of the stage, he turned away to walk up the stairs. He muttered a few words to the band before taking his place at the front.

“S-s-say something, I’m giving up on you,” Yuuri whispered into the microphone.

Before he even got to the second line, Viktor had already gotten up and walked out of the cafe. Yuuri couldn’t stop the hot tears from streaming down his face as he sang the rest of the song.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri finally had an off day. He had saved up enough money to afford to spend a little on the entrance fee to the ice skating rink for Yura and himself. None of them could skate, and they were probably going to fall over each other the entire sessions. Yuuri knew that he was going to regret it the next day when he would have to crawl to work with bruises all over, but it was for Yura and he was willing to put up with the pain if it would make Yura happy.

“Yura, are you ready?” he called out as he wrapped his scarf around his neck.

“Yeah,” Yura said, stepping out of his room to show Yuuri the outfit he chose.

“Are you wearing leggings? … And they’re leopard print too. Where did you even get them?”

Yura’s cheeks turned red, “I asked Phichit for them, as a birthday present.”

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“You weren’t at the store when we saw it. Besides, you would have said no.”

Yuuri couldn’t argue with that.

He wrapped a scarf around Yura’s neck and put on mittens for him. It hadn’t started snowing yet, but it was getting a lot colder and Yuuri didn’t want Yura to get sick. He tried to convince Yura to put on another jacket, but Yura refused.

“Everyone’s going to laugh at me…”

“Well, if you get sick, I’m going to laugh at you.”

“YOU WOULDN’T.”

“I would.”

“I hate you.”

“I love you too, Yura.”

Soon, they were walking to the skating rink down the street from their apartment.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri stared down at the rental skates that were leaning against the bench by Yura’s feet. He looked up at Yura and sighed.

“I have no idea how to put these on right. I think I’ll need to ask for help.”

“But there’s such a long queue for the rental booth!” Yura protested.

“I know, Yura, but I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“Hi, do you need help?”

Yuuri looked up and saw a mess of silver hair. It had gotten a little longer since he last saw the man it belonged to, but it was far too unique to forget. 

“Viktor,” Yuuri whispered.

“Hello, Yuuri.”

Viktor cleared his throat. Yuuri moved aside to give Viktor room to help Yura with his skates. When he was done, he stood up and moved closer to Yuuri.

“Can we talk?”

“I’m sorry, I need to skate with Yura.”

“I’ll ask one of the off-duty instructors to go with him. Please, Yuuri?”

Yuuri nodded.

Viktor walked into the office and soon emerged with a woman who looked a little older than him. He pointed her to where Yuuri and Yura was. She waved at Yura excitedly and went over to help him to his feet. Viktor followed slowly behind until both her and Yura left to start skating. Then, Viktor guided Yuuri to the seats at the side of the rink. They sat next to each other, neither of them looking at the other.

“So, you work here now?”

“Yeah. I figured that teaching kids was a better fit for me than serving coffee.”

“Is that the only reason why you left?”

“Well, only reason, yes. I had this job lined up ages ago. I was just waiting for Lilia to get more staff at the cafe before leaving. I wont lie to you though, I left a lot earlier than I planned to.”

“Because of me?”

“Yes.”

Yuuri shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“You’re a big idiot,” Viktor finally said.

“The biggest.”

“I hate that I still love you.”

“I hate myself for hurting the person I love.”

Viktor peeled his eyes from Yura and looked at Yuuri for the first time during their conversation.

“You love me?

“I do. I’m sorry.”

“You better be.”

Viktor leaned over to Yuuri's side and rested his head on Yuuri's shoulder. He sighed softly as Yuuri put his arms around him and pressed a kiss onto the top of his head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this fic is finally done. 
> 
> I don't know if you know but I've been stepping away from YoI recently because I really got into VLD. Because of that, I've been really slow to update my ongoing YoI fics. I might come back to writing more YoI (currently I still have a couple of WIPs that I'll finish eventually), but it probably wont be as much as before unless the movie is released soon. 
> 
> Thank you for staying with me! I really appreciate every single one of you!
> 
> Oh, and since I'm uploading this on the 25th, Merry Christmas everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from the English translation of the song that Nani sings to Lilo when she's about to be taken by CPS. It's called Aloha Oe.
> 
> Phew this fic turned out to be a lot more difficult to write than I thought it would be. Would you believe that this is actually the first out of the prompts that I picked and had already planned it out way before I picked the other two prompts? I really hope you liked it :S
> 
> I'd love to know what you think my writing. Please leave comments! Also, please leave kudos if you liked it. I live on lattes and validation.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! <3
> 
> You can yell at me @stellar-parallax on tumblr!


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